Skopje, 25 March 2024 (MIA) – More than half of the adults in North Macedonia are overweight, while in the region only Croatia sees a higher share of people that are overweight, according to the Landgeist web portal based on latest Eurostat data. 

More than half of all adults in almost every country in Europe are overweight, i.e. have an unhealthy BMI (≥25). The highest share of adults that are overweight is seen in Malta (62.5%), Iceland (62.0%) and Latvia (60.4%). The only European countries where less than 50% of the population is overweight are Italy (41.9%), Switzerland (45.6%) and France (46.4%). In North Macedonia, 55.7% of the adults are overweight. 

The countries with a high obesity rate, according to Landgeist, unsurprisingly also have high rates of overweight people. Malta is the second most obese country in Europe and also the most overweight country in Europe. Switzerland is the least obese country in Europe, but also the second least overweight country in Europe. But we also see quite a few countries like Estonia, Finland, Iceland, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia that have relatively low rates of obesity, but have some of the highest shares of people that are overweight in Europe. 

Of the countries in the region, only Montenegro (48.1%) has less than half of the population overweight, while Croatia has the highest share of overweight adults (58.1%), followed by Slovenia (55.7%), Greece (54.9%), Bulgaria (53.7%) and Serbia (52.5%).

"The most shocking fact is probably that in almost every country in Europe, more than half of all adults are overweight. In Malta (62.5%), Iceland (62.0%) and Latvia (60.4%) it’s even over 60%. The only European countries where less than 50% of the population is overweight are Italy (41.9%), Switzerland (45.6%), France (46.4%), Cyprus (47.9%), Montenegro (48.1%), the Netherlands (48.3%), Belgium (48.9%) and Luxembourg (49.7%). But let’s be honest, even Italy’s score of 41.9% is shockingly high," says the Landgeist web portal.

According to Eurostat, the body mass index (BMI) is defined as the weight in kilos divided by the square of the height in meters. People aged 18 years or over are considered obese with a BMI equal or greater than 30. Other categories are: underweight (BMI less than 18.5), normal weight (BMI between 18.5 and less than 25), and pre-obese (BMI between 25 and less than 30). The category overweight (BMI equal or greater than 25) combines the two categories pre-obese and obese. 

Photo: Print screen / Landgeist